Virtual History:
Montpelier
The Home of James Madison
Montpelier: The Home of James Madison
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The third member of the Virginia Dynasty of Presidents, Madison built his Montpelier in Orange County to the north of Jefferson and Monroe. Their plan was to have this layout of estates across the rolling Piedmont region of central Virginia. Only about an hour's driving time from Monticello and Ashlawn, Montpelier is a magnificent site. As you approach it across the single lane bridge and the private access road, you truly experience the vast expanse of a Virginia plantation estate. Across acres of lush green rises the prominent yellow house which is much more imposing than either Jefferson's or Monroe's homes. Notice the sense of symmetry in the picture above. What other classical Greek and Roman influences do you see?
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Here are three pictures spanning the front of Monpelier. Notice the sense of balance from the wing on the left all the way over to the wing on your right. The windows are carefully arranged across each wing and the front entranceway. The columns are evenly spaced beneath the pediment and the urns along the front remind us of the Greeks.
Notice the way the chimneys are carefully distributed across Montpelier's roof line. Each chimney is meant to warm a different section of the house. Also note how the lines on the tine roof add to the sense of symmetry.
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The pediment includes an arched window and a tooth molding which relfect the Roman influence in the house's design. Examining the closeup of the doric column, we are reminded of the clean, square look of the early Greeks.